REDZONE came off as really confused as to what genre it wanted to be. For the longest time it felt like I was reading a police procedural and a one that was at times confusing and slow. There were some hints about mutants and a disease being passed around in world. These mutants are put in redzones for everyone’s protection. When Cassandra does eventually go to a redzone it felt like a massive detour from the Bonebreaker serial killer plot of the police procedural section.

It’s the last day of the month which means it’s time to check out what we’re reading next month in: Want to know what titles came out in previous months? View previous Hot Off The Press posts —————————————– *Release dates are subject to change. Click ‘+ Description‘ to reveal the full description. Please visit our Titles Received For Review page to see which of these titles will be reviewed this month. 32 Adult Titles Releasing in August 16 YA Titles Releasing in August What are your must have titles for August? Tell us in the comments. Authors/Publishers: have a book coming out… Read more »

Despite a very strong first few pages, LICKED BY THE FLAMES left me feeling confused. It was well written, but some of the mythology and magic was so unbelievably weird that I never got into the story.

In SPIDER’S TRAP Gin is in a new position of power with some different problems to deal with including the not so different constant threats of death. I enjoyed seeing how she dealt with more of Ashland’s underworld, especially since she has been dragged into the center of it and so obviously doesn’t want to be involved. Most of these seedy underworld sort of folk are handled pretty easily with a helping of death by Spider.

A big welcome to D.B. Jackson who is here to telling us about The Politics of Historical Fiction and celebrating the release of DEAD MAN’S REACH, Thieftaker #4 (published on July 21, 2015 by Tor Books).

In the original description I read of THE ARTISANS, this crucial sentence was at the end: “The Artisans is a delectably rich, layered and dark YA Southern Gothic inspired by Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s classic Beauty and the Beast.” Generally anything promising a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (my favorite fairytale) is an instant win for me. And while I can definitely see the parallels between THE ARTISANS and Beauty and the Beast, THE ARTISANS had quite a bit more going on, that in fact, at times I felt like there was almost too much going on.

I love paranormal romance books that don’t take themselves too seriously. I always find that it’s easier to get through a book when I am laughing, and BABY’S GOT BITE had plenty of humour and ridiculous situations in it while still managing to have believable characters and truly emotional scenes.

Ray Bradbury’s unique blend of fantasy and human reaction to the seemingly impossible first delighted and intrigued television audiences in the early 1950s when several of his stories were adapted for popular anthology shows of the day, including CBS Television Workshop, Tales of Tomorrow and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. While an argument can be made that the influence of The Martian Chronicles author easily transcends all forms of media, there is no question that the “Poet of Pulp” has had an influence on how science fiction and fantasy are portrayed on television – an influence that’s still clearly evident in some of today’s small screen offerings.

SILVER IN THE BLOOD was a book I was very much looking forward to reading. The beautiful cover and author alone (I loved DRAGON SLIPPERS) was enough to intrigue me, and I didn’t even bother reading the description. So going in a bit blind, I was very happy when SILVER IN THE BLOOD lived up to my expectations.

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ATUF Rating System

Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.
Loved it! Buy it now & put this author on your watch list.
A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.
A few good points, but with significant flaws. Library/swap/borrow if you want.
I had to force myself to finish it. Fatally flawed on multiple levels.

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Started in 2009, All Things Urban Fantasy is the place 'Where Para is Normal'. This your one stop for all things Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal YA, & Speculative Fiction titles. Want to know more about ATUF? Read the about page.

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